Paint Me With Words
by Audrina C
Summary: 'She wasn't satisfied with the ending. Sure, there had been closure, but it wasn't enough.' Katniss Everdeen finds that sometimes life really does mirror fanfiction. Modern day AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own THG.  
**

**This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful beta, safe-always-real. Thank you Kerin!  
**

* * *

_He flips her over him so that she is now straddling him. "I want to see you ride me," he pants. She whimpers in response as she slowly guides his cock into her, relishing in the way he feels inside her. Placing her hands on his chest to gain balance, she starts to roll her hips against him. In return, his hands reach out to cup her ass. "Yes. Just like that, Regina," he encourages._

_She throws her head back in ecstasy when his fingers find her clit, rubbing it with just the right pressure to send jolts of pleasure through her body. She can hardly concentrate on riding him anymore. Before long, she can feel it. She's almost there, the tension gathering at her core threatening to uncoil with just a few more strokes of his touch. She digs her nails into his chest. She tries to warn him. "Vincent, I—_

"KATNISS!" a voice shouts in her ear. Katniss jumps a little at the sudden intrusion before swivelling her chair around to meet the voice's owner. Prim stands before her, a playful smile on her lips.

"Shit,_ Prim_. You scared me," Katniss tells her sister. "You should've kno—

"I _did_ knock, Katniss," Prim interrupts her. "But apparently you were so occupied that you didn't notice me, so I thought I'd let myself in," she smirks.

Katniss smiles. "Well, I'm not occupied now. Anything you want to tell me?" She adjusts herself slightly, rotating her chair a little more to the left, hoping it will keep Prim from seeing the contents on the screen.

"Dinner's almost ready. Daddy sent me upstairs to tell you. Watcha reading, Katniss?" she asks curiously. Prim tiptoes to get a better look, but Katniss is quicker. She stands up from her seat and stops her sister from coming any closer.

"Nothing interesting, really," she replies, frantically trying to make up something believable. She says the first thing that comes to her mind. "College entrance essays! I mean, I'm reading examples of college entrance essays."

"Wow, you're so hardworking, Katniss," Prim remarks, a look of awe on her face. "School has barely started and you're already reading college entrance essays!"

Katniss feels guilty. "Um, yes." She clears her throat. "You go ahead, Prim. I'll come down as soon as I'm done."

Only when her sister's footsteps fade down the stairs does Katniss feel reassured to go back to her desk. "College entrance essays." She laughs at her lame excuse as she reads through the rest of the smutty story.

College entrance essays indeed.

* * *

The strong smell of lamb wafts into her nose before Katniss even reaches the kitchen.

She recognizes the familiar and comforting smell, and is pleasantly surprised. _Lamb stew. _Her family is preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Prim bustles around the kitchen, taking three soup bowls from a cabinet before grabbing spoons from another drawer. She nudges the drawer closed with a swing of her hips, giggling at the sound of the utensils rattling together inside the drawer. Katniss can't help but smile at Prim's antics; she never knows why Prim finds this so entertaining, despite the fact that she has been doing it for years.

Her father is in another corner of the kitchen. Eric Everdeen stirs the pot of lamb stew, stopping to sample it with a small spoon. Apparently the stew is satisfactory, because Katniss sees him nod in approval. He gives it a few final stirs and switches off the stove.

Katniss hurries to put the trivets on the dining table. Her father sets down the pot of lamb stew and she inhales deeply. "It smells _heavenly_, Dad."

"Wait until you taste it," her father grins.

"Let's eat!" Prim starts ladling a bowl with stew. She gives it to her father, and then ladles a second bowl. Katniss notices that this bowl has a bigger serving than her father's.

"This is yours, Katniss. I know how much you love lamb stew," Prim winks. She slides the bowl in front of Katniss. "Shh, don't let Daddy know I gave you a bigger portion," she says in a loud voice that suggests quite otherwise.

"Hey! That's unfair," their father plays along. "I demand that I get a bigger serving! After all, I'm the one who cooked this."

The sisters laugh at their father's attempt to pout.

"Katniss, look! That's exactly what you look like when you pout," Prim teases.

Katniss rolls her eyes. "I don't pout, Prim. That's_ you_. You and Dad look like twins when you pout."

"Nonsense. Everyone says I look like Mum…" Prim falters at the last word. "…my…" The atmosphere at the dining table has gone from light-hearted to uneasy at the slightest mention of their mother. Nobody says a word. Katniss eyes her father warily. His face is blank.

Prim fakes a cough. "Better start eating now, the stew is getting cold," she says nervously.

The next fifteen minutes or so are filled with the occasional clinking of spoon against bowl, slurping noises and the sound of Prim chewing her meat.

Her father decides to break the silence. "How is school so far, Primmy?"

Prim looks up, shocked. She swallows whatever food inside her mouth before replying. "_Primmy_? Daddy, I'm fourteen, not four. I'm a freshman already!" She states proudly. "You don't go around calling Katniss 'Katty', do you? Call me Prim, okay?"

She doesn't wait for her father to answer. She continues to chirp on. "Oh, high school is fun! Everyone is so wonderful and friendly to me. I've made lots of friends!" She turns to Katniss. "I don't understand why you say high school is a horrible place."

Katniss shrugs unimpressively. "I'm only speaking from experience. It's just the beginning. You just wait until the excitement down, and then you'll see."

"You're wrong," Prim says simply.

Kind Prim. Sweet Prim. Always so trusting and ever the optimist. '_I really hope I'm wrong'_, Katniss thinks. '_I really hope your high school experience will be better and more enjoyable than mine. I really hope you find true friends who will stick with you no matter what. I really hope you find a nice guy that won't treat you like trash, even though I can't see why anyone would do that to you.' _She doesn't say these things out loud, of course. Katniss isn't one who says mushy things openly, unlike Prim.

Instead, she tells her father, "this stew is really good, Dad. It tastes even better than the last one. Are you using a new recipe?"

"Yep, thanks to Effie! She knows lamb stew is your favorite dish, so she emailed me this recipe she got from The Caesar Flickerman Show. She'll be glad to know that you like it."

Katniss' expression turns stony at the mention of Effie's name. "Effie? You're still keeping in touch with _that woman_?" she asks, feeling displeased.

She hopes her father will say no; that Effie sent him an email by mistake, or whatever stupid reasons that woman always gives, in her equally stupid-sounding voice. Her father doesn't reply, but judging from the way he refuses to meet her gaze and the slight scraping noises his prosthetic leg makes against the tiled kitchen floor, Katniss already knows the answer.

Suddenly, she doesn't find the lamb stew so tasty anymore.

* * *

Katniss sprawls on her bed, stomach down, when a soft _ding_ from her laptop notifies her that she has an incoming email.

It's from , telling her that an author she'd put on her to-watch list, PaintMeWithWords, has a new story.

It's a continuation of the book, _The Girl on Fire_, by Cinna M, with this fanfiction depicting the main characters, Regina and Vincent, with children of their own. The story leaves Katniss with so many emotions that she has to stop and pull herself together for a few minutes. She wants to leave a review telling PaintMeWithWords how much the fanfiction could be considered a part of the actual story and that it captured the essence of the main characters so well as parents, but she can't find the right words to say so. She's never been able to express herself properly. So, Katniss chooses to write a simple comment: _Another wonderful story from you, love it!_

Not long after, she receives a reply of her review:

_Sagittaria13,_

_Thanks for the review! Glad you loved my story. Did I mention that you're the first person to review both of my stories? Haha._

_PMWW_

'_Well, now you did. What are you trying to imply?' _she wonders suspiciously. She types her response: _I'm not hardcore stalking you or anything, if that's what you mean._

She refreshes the page to see his reply:

_Sagittaria13,_

_No, no! That's not what I meant. I'm just grateful that you took your time to read and review my stories. I apologize if I didn't make myself clear. :)_

_PMWW_

'_Oh.' _Katniss feels bad for jumping to conclusions. _No, I'm sorry,_ she types. _I'm not good at interpreting what people mean sometimes. Both of your stories are really good._ She adds the last sentence to try to compensate for her misunderstanding.

PaintMeWithWords replies:

_Sagittaria13,_

_It's okay! And thanks for the compliment. I've been on this site for less than two months, so it's great to hear that people like my work!_

_PMWW_

Katniss responds: _Let me give you a late welcome then. I've been around for... four or five months? Anyway the TGOF fan base is still small at the moment and we could really use more talented people like you in the fandom._

She gets her reply:

_Sagittaria13,_

_Me? Talented? Oh thanks! As a matter of fact, I already have ideas for my third fanfic. I'm going to plot it out when I have the time._

_PMWW_

_That's great, I look forward to reading it._ She clicks the send button.

Katniss plops back on her bed, recalling the series of events that had led her to join . _Katniss was on one of her monthly visits to the local bookstore. Normally she would just stroll through the shelves, checking out new novels and noting down the ones that caught her attention, so that she could borrow them from Madge. Madge usually had a copy of almost every new book, which was not surprising considering her mother was a freelance journalist who reviewed books for newspapers and magazines. Katniss was about to leave with nothing but her list when it started to rain heavily. She cursed herself for not bringing an umbrella, but was secretly pleased that she had an excuse to spend more time in the bookstore. She went exploring in aisles that she didn't walk through in her regular visits. Katniss was surprised when she found an unlabelled shelf with all sorts of books that were not categorized. The lowest rack of the shelf was empty except for two lonely, identical books. The cover was plain; a mixture of orange and red as the background. The Girl on Fire, the title read in black bold letters. On the lower right of the cover was the name of the author, in a similar font but smaller sized. 'Cinna M'. The book was thick; Katniss estimated it to be around 700-800 pages._

_One of the novels was not wrapped, perhaps to serve as a browsing copy. She picked it up. Despite the many books she had read, Katniss had never heard of the author before. She was intrigued. She brushed the slightly dusty back cover and read the synopsis. A story set in a dystopic future where children kill each other for entertainment? Katniss raised her eyebrows sceptically. That was sick and _depressing_. Who would read that? She was a reader who preferred roses and sunshine and happy endings in stories. Past experiences had led her to believe that there were no happy endings in real life. She wanted to immerse herself into a story with happy settings; where everyone was healthy and no one died from illness, where the bad guys were defeated, where the star-crossed lovers got to be together at last, where everyone lived happily ever after. As cliché as it sounded, she got to escape, albeit temporarily, into another world where real life problems didn't plague her._

_She put the book back on the shelf, shaking her head to herself. 'Dystopias are definitely not a happy place. Sorry.'_

_She looked out the glass display window to check the weather outside; the rain didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon. She looked back to the book._

_Katniss sighed. "Oh, whatever," she grunted, squatting to retrieve the novel. "I'm only reading this until the rain stops. And then I'll leave," she convinced herself._

_The rain did stop, eventually. But Katniss did not notice. She read on and on. Ninety pages later, she looked up from the book._

"_Crap," she cursed, checking her watch. "I'd better go now." She looked at the book, debating her next action._

_She gave a huff of resolution. "This Cinna M better give me a happy ending," she muttered to herself as she walked towards the cashier to pay for the book._

_She devoured the book in less than two days. It was unlike anything she had read before. It was refreshing to read something so different, Katniss secretly admitted to herself. The story was indeed depressing; it touched so many sensitive issues that Katniss almost wanted to stop reading it, but she just couldn't. The deaths of major characters tore at her heart. The book redeemed itself a little, in her opinion, when the female character finally realized and admitted her love for the male character in the end._

_Katniss turned to the next page, half-expecting another page depicting their possibly-married lives and perhaps-even though she didn't have high hopes for it given how Regina was so strongly against creating life in such a bleak world-that there would be mentions of them having children. That would be the _perfect_ ending._

_She couldn't help but feel disappointed when she was faced with a blank page. She wasn't satisfied with the ending. Sure, there had been closure, but it wasn't enough! She wanted to know what had happened to Regina and Vincent. She wanted to know the fate of the other surviving characters as well. Cinna M just glossed over everything at the end of the story. She spent many nights thinking in her bed, making up scenarios based on her own what-ifs. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't be the only one who was unsatisfied with the ending. She searched the internet to find like-minded people. And that's how she stumbled upon . The initial relief she felt when she found out that she wasn't the only one morphed into something stronger-was it excitement- as she browsed through stories written by fans of the book. There were less than 200 stories when she first checked, but she felt content reading them, especially the ones about Regina and Vincent tying the knot and starting a family._

_Katniss gradually realized that she strongly supported the idea of Regina and Vincent together. She couldn't bear the idea of one of them being without the other; she just couldn't afford to think like that. She loved reading fanfiction involving her favorite couple. Nowadays she visited the site frequently to check for new stories and anxiously waited for each new chapter of unfinished stories._

The sound of Prim closing the door to her room brings Katniss out of her reverie. Katniss rolls herself to the side of the bed where she grabs her favorite book from the nightstand. She flips open her copy of _The Girl on Fire_, the book being read so many times it would've become easily battered if not for her meticulous wrapping. She turns to the last page, her favorite page of the entire book, and rereads the last passage.

* * *

Madge approaches her in the school hallway the next day. "Hey, Katniss."

"Madge. Finished reading your book yet?" Katniss asks her best friend. She unlocks her locker and begins to stuff in textbooks from her backpack.

"Not yet. I'm still at the part where they eloped and are about to 'do it' for the first time," Madge laughs, as she makes air quotes with her fingers. Katniss laughs with her. "Make sure you give me explicit details about the 'deflowering' process." She does the same air quote as Madge and both of them laugh even harder.

"Madge!"

They turn their heads to the source of the voice. Delly Cartwright is running towards them from the other end of the hallway. Finnick Odair and Peeta Mellark amble behind her, deep in discussion. Delly's face is mixed with annoyance and relief, her blonde ponytail swishing along as she reaches Madge and Katniss.

"Madge," Delly repeats, flashing a bright smile. She seems to be a little breathless after her short run. She turns to Katniss. "Um, hi Katniss!" she adds a little apprehensively, after a second thought. Katniss notices that Delly's smile has faded a bit. She returns a curt nod to the girl.

"_Boys will be boys_," Delly complains to Madge, who looks amused. "They've been talking non-stop about cars the whole morning!" Delly turns her head to shoot the approaching boys a dirty look. By now, both boys have stopped their discussion.

"What's with that look, Delly? You look constipated," Finnick jokes. Peeta laughs. Katniss has a sudden, weird fluttering in her stomach.

"You're not ignoring me anymore? Why, thank you!" Delly retorts sarcastically.

Before Finnick could reply, a bunch of young girls, possibly freshmen, pass them. They erupt into fits of giggles when they see Finnick and Peeta. Katniss hears a bit of their conversation. "_the taller one_", "_green eyes_", "_blond hottie_", and "so _good looking_". Finnick notices the attention and gives the girls a wink, following by his classic 'hot guy' smile. The girls giggle even harder. Katniss rolls her eyes at the scene before her. Peeta only blushes and runs his fingers through his hair. Katniss feels that weird sensation again. _Did I eat something bad for breakfast?_

The bell rings, signifying the start of the first class of the day. Everyone rushes to get into their respective classrooms. Today's first period is History. Lucky for them, the classroom is near Katniss's locker. "You go ahead," she tells Madge, who is waiting for her. "I still need to get something."

Madge nods and enters the classroom with Delly and Finnick. Peeta follows behind them, but he accidentally drops one of his books and pencil case. He bends down to collect them. Katniss gathers all the things she needs and slams her locker door shut. As she gets nearer to Peeta, she wonders if she should wait for him. _This is awkward. Should I wait for him? I don't know. I mean, I'm not even that close to him!_

As if realizing her internal debate, Peeta chooses to stand up at the exact moment she reaches him. Katniss lets out a breath of relief. Both of them start walking together. However, the door is only wide enough to let one person in at a time. "After you," Katniss hears him say softly. She gives a small grunt of thanks, feeling awkward. Her stomach flips funnily. '_Stupid granola bars'_, she mutters under her breath.

History for first period is the worst thing ever. Katniss can hardly pay attention to the lesson. She surveys her classmates from her seat at the back of the class. Very few people seem to be paying attention, but the teacher doesn't seem to mind at all. Madge is reading her novel under the desk, her lips curving into a small smile as her eyes dart across the page. Katniss guesses that she's at the 'deflowering' part now. Two seats away, Finnick is throwing paper balls at Delly, who seems unperturbed as she listens earnestly from the front row. His actions earn silent laughs from his neighbors.

Katniss lets her gaze wander around the rest of the classroom, before settling on Peeta. He appears to be taking notes, writing furiously in his notebook. After some time, Katniss realizes that he can't be jotting down notes; he's hardly glanced at the whiteboard at all. She continues to observe him. Once a while he stops writing and glances upwards at the ceiling for a moment, before continuing to write. Her eyes travel to his blond hair; it looks so soft, she wonders if it would feel the same under her touch. She looks at her own hair, tied into a braid. It's brown and coarse, and split ends can be seen at the tip. In short, it is nothing like his hair. She feels jealous of Peeta Mellark. '_Something is wrong with you. You're jealous of a boy?'_ she asks herself incredulously.

Katniss tells herself to stop and tries her best to pay attention for the rest of the lesson.

* * *

Peeta catches her staring at him when they leave the classroom. He offers her a small smile. She blinks. Her stomach does that annoying flip again.

_'Damn it.'_ She runs into the bathroom and locks herself in a cubicle.

"It's definitely those granola bars. Bet they're expired. Ugh."

She makes a mental note to tell Prim to throw them away when the bathroom door swings open. _Tap tap tap tap_. Katniss can make out two sets of high heels.

"…such a romantic book!" one voice says.

"I know, right? Oh, how I wish Greg was real!" another voice sighs dramatically.

Katniss recognises both of them. The first voice belongs to Clove Stallings, and the second voice is Glenda Bargee, more commonly known as 'Glimmer'. They are Panem High School's resident bitches.

Katniss flushes the toilet and exits the cubicle. From the reflection of the mirror, she sees Clove fixing her fake eyelashes. Glimmer stands beside her, raving about the book she is holding. "It's like, the best book ever written!" she gushes to her friend.

Katniss sneaks a glance at the cover to confirm her suspicion. '_Yep, she's talking about _that book_ again_.'

The book had been touted as the best erotic fiction of the year. Madge and Katniss had almost died laughing while reading the sex scenes. It was _that _horrible. Unlike other women, they didn't find the main male character attractive either. They made a vow to never touch, let alone read it again.

Katniss washes her hands at the sink, trying her best to conceal her laughter.

"The love scenes are so beautifully written," Glimmer continues. "I just…" She gives another one of her dramatic sighs.

_Please, I've read better smut online._

"Sometimes I just wish Cato would act more like Greg, you know?" Glimmer has a look of adoration when she refers to the male character. She looks at Clove expectantly for a reply.

That's when Katniss loses it. She accidentally lets out a snort, which she quickly disguises as a cough. Glimmer notices, unfortunately. "What are you laughing at?" she snaps. Katniss ignores her and proceeds to wipe her hands dry. Glimmer takes a few steps towards her.

Glimmer is one of those people who can't tell the difference between 'your' and 'you're', 'its' and 'it's' and 'there' and 'their'. Katniss looks at her clutching the book. Glimmer has been carrying it around for a few days, flaunting it like a new accessory. She tells anyone who will listen, yapping away about how she is reading the latest 'it' book, where on normal days she openly mocks and ridicules anyone reading a book.

"I've seen you before," Glimmer continues when Katniss doesn't say anything. "You're that loner bookworm girl from our year."

'_Whoa, pretty big words coming from you, Glimmer.'_

"What's so funny, huh? You think your silly fairy tales are better than this book?" She waves the novel in Katniss' face. "You think you're so pure and better than the rest of us just because you don't read these kinds of books? You're such a prude. Do you even know what sex is?"

Katniss snorts at the ridiculousness of the question.

"Fucking prude," Clove joins her friend, her fake eyelashes finally in place. "Let's go, Glimmer. We don't need to waste our time talking to idiots like her."

Glimmer follows Clove out of the bathroom. When she reaches the door, she swivels her head around. Flashing Katniss a sugary, fake smile, she mouths the word _'prude'_ before exiting.

Katniss stares at the spot where Glimmer stood. Then she checks her reflection in the mirror. A small chuckle escapes her lips.

'_Prude? You have no idea, do you?'_

* * *

**AN: This was originally intended as an one-shot for Prompts in Panem's Day 5 submission, but ideas began to grow and before you know it...tadaa! A multi-chaptered fic! Haha.  
**

**Thanks for reading! :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own THG.**

**A BIG THANK YOU to my amazing beta safe-always-real for all her encouragement and advice! :)  
**

* * *

She is faintly aware of the sound of birds chirping outside her window.

Katniss grunts softly. She turns to her right, bringing the quilt closer to her as she does so. She snuggles into the warmth of her blanket, trying to drift back to sleep and continue her dream. But it's no use; she's awake now.

She opens her eyes groggily and blinks a few times. The clock on the nightstand shows _Sat - 7:32am_. Sitting up, she releases a loud yawn and stretches. Feeling satisfied, Katniss pads softly to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

She decides to check on Prim before going downstairs. Her sister is still sleeping. The polka-dotted blanket is strewn across the floor and she seems to have curled into a ball on the far edge of her bed. A small smile stretches across Katniss's face. Prim has always been a fitful sleeper.

Quietly, so as not to awaken her sister, Katniss lifts the blanket from the floor to cover her body. She then tucks the loose strands of Prim's hair behind her ears to prevent them from getting close to her drool. Katniss notices something tucked in Prim's arms. Judging from the slight tufts of artificial yellow fur peeking out, Katniss guesses that it's Buttercup, the stuffed cat toy their mother gave Prim for her fifth birthday.

Even to this day, she still thinks it's an ugly-looking thing; surely no child would want to cuddle with something as ugly as that. But Prim absolutely adores it. "I shall name you Buttercup!" Prim cooed to it when she first saw the toy.

Katniss is surprised to see Prim sleeping with Buttercup. Some time ago her sister had packed all of her soft toys into a box and stored them away, claiming that she was '_waaaaay too old to sleep with toys anymore'_.

She adjusts the blanket around Prim to ensure she is fully covered before exiting the room. Katniss can hear her father's loud snores coming from his room across the hallway. He will be awake any moment now; he has a class to teach later in the morning. She goes downstairs.

The cool tiles on the kitchen floor feel nice against her bare feet. She butters a piece of toast while waiting for the pot of coffee to boil. Munching on her toast, she looks outside the window. '_The weather's nice, maybe I should go to the woods today.'_ It has been quite some time since she's visited the woods.

She hurriedly gulps down her cup of coffee before going upstairs to retrieve her things. She passes by her father's room; he's still sleeping. Back in the kitchen, she scrawls a message on the small whiteboard on the refrigerator door to let her family know where she's going:

_Going to the woods. –Katniss_

* * *

The woods. Her safe place. Her haven. Her keeper of happy childhood memories.

Katniss breathes in the earthy scent of the woods and basks in the sunlight penetrating through the canopy of trees. _Crunch, crunch, crunch. _Apart from the twittering birds and foraging squirrels, the sounds of dried leaves crunching under her boots are her only companion in the woods. She walks at a slow pace to admire the fall foliage. Fall is her favourite season. Leaves of different shades of yellow and red and orange can be seen on trees and are scattered around the forest floor. The whole view looks picturesque and breath-taking.

Katniss briefly remembers when they were younger, she and Prim would gather the fallen leaves and together they would pile them into a huge heap before diving into them like snow. Prim would sneakily dump leaves on Katniss when she wasn't looking, earning an angry shriek and a warning from Katniss threatening to do the same.

Their parents would watch in amusement as a determined Katniss chased a giggling Prim around until both of them were breathless from all the running. They would then run to their parents for water to quench their thirst, laughing at each other's red face ("You look like an ugly tomato, Katniss!"), their previous bickering forgotten.

Katniss smiles at the recollection. She reaches her usual spot, but decides to walk a little deeper into the woods after a moment of deliberation. She isn't afraid of getting lost in the woods; she knows her way around here. Her family used to come here all the time before the accident. A trip to the woods was always a treat for them. They used to come here for picnics. Hiking. Her father would teach Katniss and Prim archery (though Katniss was the quick learner, much to Prim's chagrin). Her mother would tell them the names of plants and ferns that piqued their interest.

_Her mother._

Katniss's chest tightens a little at the memory of her mother. How she wishes that her mother was still alive, that the accident had not happened at all. The accident that had torn her family apart. The car crash had been more than three years ago. Her mother had died on spot while her father had been in a coma for two months, on top of losing his left leg. Nothing had ever been the same since.

They don't visit the woods together anymore. It's only Katniss who comes here now. Prim has lost interest in the woods as she has grown older. She claims that she's terrified of the insects there. Her father avoids it. The woods remind him too much of his late wife; the pain is impossible for him to bear.

The woods remind Katniss of her mother too. But unlike her father, she finds solace in the woods. It's the only place where she feels close to her mother, as if her mother's presence still lingers here.

She feels the tell-tale burning of her nose. "Get a grip, Katniss," she tells herself. She has been walking for quite some time now. She takes in her surroundings; she's already deep in the woods, almost reaching her destination. She walks for another full minute before she sees it: a small clearing in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the trees and shrubs. Their meadow.

On days when Prim felt that her legs were "capable for more walking", they went further into the woods, into the meadow. Here her mother would weave flowers into crowns that they would put on their heads, with Prim insisting that hers should be bigger and prettier than Katniss's. Katniss also remembers Prim running around the meadow, hoping to catch a butterfly or two with their father while Katniss would spend her time lying contentedly on her mother's lap. She had been so carefree and innocent back then, believing all things were good in the world, not a single worry bothering her. Her mother would pamper her by stroking her hair, humming 'Deep in the Meadow' as she did so. The sunlight shone on her mother's golden hair, and from Katniss's position it looked like a halo on her mother's head. Her mother looked ethereal and otherworldly, just like an angel. No, even angels couldn't compare. Katniss told her so. Her mother responded by pinching her nose affectionately. A dejected Prim then ran back to them, disappointed that she couldn't catch any butterflies.

"_It's okay,_" her mother soothed Prim, giving her husband a loving smile as he followed behind his younger daughter. "_There's always next time, right?_"

But there hadn't been. Her parents' accident had happened a little more than a week after that perfect day. It was the last time they had gone to the woods as a complete family.

Katniss walks to the middle of the clearing. She finds a soft patch of grass to sit on. The crisp autumn air manages to invade her nose despite it being blocked a little. She welcomes it.

After making herself comfortable, she fishes out a novel from her bag. Carefully plucking her bookmark, she starts reading from where she's left off.

A slight breeze runs through the meadow. The grasses sway along gently following the direction of the breeze. Katniss closes her eyes, imagining it's her mother stroking her hair.

* * *

She must've dozed off.

Katniss opens her eyes to find herself lying on her back. All the drowsiness leaves her when she sees the novel propped on her chest, opened in half.

"Shit," she curses, immediately grabbing the novel and snapping it shut. She hastily examines the spine for any sign of creases, all the while berating herself for being so careless. She lets out a sigh of relief when she can't find any. "Sorry, sorry," she apologizes to the book, stroking its spine tenderly.

She checks the time; a few more minutes to eleven thirty. Her father's class ends at one in the afternoon. She debates whether to head home or visit her father. She decides on the latter. The archery center is nearer from this side of the woods, and she can catch a ride in her father's car when he goes home. With a renewed sense of purpose, she stuffs the novel into her bag and gets up.

She brushes away the stray bits of grass that cling to her.

* * *

Katniss turns around the bend and sees the huge sign 'Abernathy's Archery Academy' on a building not too far away. She spots her father's car in the parking lot. Entering the building, she greets the woman sitting at the front desk. "Hey, Cassandra."

"Katniss," recognition lights up the woman's eyes. She stacks up some of the promotional pamphlets she has been folding. "Haven't seen you since summer. How's my girl doing?" Katniss helps out with the younger classes each summer as a part time job.

"I'm good."

"Here to see your father?" Cassandra asks knowingly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Katniss replies distractedly, eyeing Cassandra's manicured nails as she runs her hand over the pamphlets to fold them. She briefly wonders at the amount of time and effort spent to draw those intricate floral patterns. _'No one has the time for that.'_

"You need help?" she offers, nodding towards the stack of unfolded pamphlets.

Cassandra looks up, tucking a stray wisp of auburn hair behind her ear. "No, it's okay," she smiles appreciatively. "I got this." The telephone on the desk rings.

"Abernathy's Archery Academy, how may I help you?" she answers in her 'professional' voice.

Not wanting to bother the receptionist anymore, Katniss gestures her thumb to her right silently, indicating that she's heading to the range. She gets a small wave from Cassandra in return. She proceeds down the corridor leading to the range, which is located behind the building. Both sides of the corridor are filled with bulletin boards, most of them taped with clippings about the various achievements of students and the occasional interviews from newspapers and magazines.

There's also a board dedicated to the latest happenings of the academy. Katniss notices a new poster on that board congratulating the opening of the fourth branch of the archery center in another state.

She sees her father and his students on the far right side of the range. He has just finished demonstrating a technique. He then orders his students to follow his action. After correcting some of their mistakes, she hears her father announcing, "Okay people, take ten!"

A collection of clattering sounds could be heard as the students started removing their quivers and placing their bows on the bow stands before dispersing into the building, probably going to the bathroom. Some of them stayed, choosing to linger at the shelter in the range. Katniss watches her father shuffle over to the nearest bench in the shelter, rolling up the leg of his pants to reveal his prosthetic.

"Dad?" she approaches her father.

"Oh, Katniss. You're here." He looks a bit surprised to see her. She's not sure if he read her note about going to the woods, but either way he doesn't mention it.

"Yeah. Figured I'd drop by and see you. Then we could go home together…" she trails off. "Is it hurting you again?" she asks in concern, referring to his prosthetic.

"Nah, it just gets a bit uncomfortable after standing for such a long time," her father replies dismissively.

She only looks on as he adjusts his prosthetic slightly before rolling down his pant leg again.

Her father grabs a bottle of mineral water. He offers it to Katniss, who shakes her head. "Hey, want to go grab lunch at Sae's after I finish my class?" He unseals the cap and drinks from it.

"What about Prim?"

Her father swallows a few more gulps of water before answering. "Prim's at the Hawthornes'. She's spending her afternoon there," he says, referring to their neighbors and long-time family friends.

"Okay then. I'll meet you at the lobby at one?" The ten minute break was almost up; students were heading back to the range.

"Sure," her father agrees. "Coach, can you help me with my pin sight? It's gotten loose," one of his students calls out.

"Sure thing. I'll be there in a sec."

He gets up from the bench to attend to his student. "See you later," he says.

After helping Cassandra with her pamphlets, she retreats into that corner of the lobby where there are sofas and plush chairs available for people who are waiting.

Just as she is about to resume her reading, a gruff voice drawls, "My, my. Look who's here."

Katniss looks up to see the owner of Abernathy's Archery Academy wearing an amused look on his face. He plops himself onto one of the seats in front of her, taking out a flask from his jacket pocket.

"Uncle Haymitch? Why are you here?" she asks disbelievingly.

Haymitch Abernathy snorts. "Why am I here? Sweetheart… " He uses a tone which one would use to explain simple arithmetic to a young child. "I own this place." He takes a swig from the flask. She detects a faint whiff of whiskey.

Katniss rolls her eyes at his response. "Yeah, but we all know how often you show up here. Ten times a year, maybe?" she exaggerates.

"Which only serves as a statement that I'm an expert in hiring people who are experts in hiring people to run this academy. The less I show up, the less I'm complaining the shit out of everything and anything, and the more time I can spend drowning in the bliss this thing here offers." He swirls the flask in adoration. "They're happy, I'm happy, it's a win-win situation. I'm a genius, no? Must be the best employer ever," he mutters, taking another swig of liquor.

"Genius? _Please_," Katniss scoffs. "All that alcohol you've consumed has probably lowered your I.Q."

"Utter bullshit. My alcohol consumption certainly does not reduce the amount of wisdom I was born with," Haymitch taps his temple with his index finger. "If anything, it makes me smarter," he chuckles wryly.

"Whatever, Uncle Haymitch. You need to stop drinking. It's bad for your health," she advises him for the umpteenth time.

"Christ, you sound like Eric," Haymitch throws both of his hands up in the air. He mocks her father's voice. "'_Stop drinking Haymitch! You're gonna just drop dead one day and I won't even have the time to attend your damn funeral!_'"

Katniss looks unimpressed. "Seriously? I don't know how you and Dad became friends in high school. Both of you are exact opposites."

"Opposites attract, sweetheart. Haven't you heard?"

Katniss rolls her eyes. "Very funny. I can't possibly imagine how Dad tolerated your lame jokes for all these years. Or just you in general."

"Eh, he tolerated me all right," Haymitch chuckles. "Enough to let me be the best man at his wedding. And damn was I ever grateful for that, or else I would've never met my Maysilee," his expression turns into a longing one. He takes another mouthful from his flask.

"Oh. Umm…" Katniss tries to think of something to change the topic from his late wife. "Prim misses you," she blurts out.

"Of course she does. The little darling."

"Yeah, you should really drop by sometimes. It's been so long since we've had you over for dinner."

"I'm not sure about that, sweetheart," Haymitch scratches his stubble; it looks like he hasn't shaved for days. "Your dad's cooking gotten worse over the time."

"Hey," she throws one of the pillows on the couch at him. He dodges it in time. Both of them laugh.

"Listen," he clears his throat, getting serious. "I'm really sorry for not attending Prim's birthday party. Here, go and get her a few of those trashy teeny bopper albums." He takes out two Benjamin Franklins from his wallet. "Girls her age like those." He tries to stuff the money into Katniss's hands. She refuses to accept it.

"Uncle Haymitch! How many times do I have to tell you? I can't accept your money, we already owe you too much!"

Her family does owe Haymitch a lot. Everything that the insurance policy did not cover (her father's prosthetic, his rehabilitation bills), Haymitch paid for it. He also arranged their mother's funeral and looked after her and Prim throughout the entire ordeal. Not to mention that he held her father's position as an archery trainer at the academy for him to return to post-coma and rehab. Katniss still doesn't know the exact amount of money he had forked out ("_You're nosy, sweetheart._"), but she was sure it had been a lot. She shudders to imagine what would have happened to them without Haymitch's support. Even though Haymitch insists that they don't need to repay the money, her father tries to repay him as much as he can. Katniss helps her father by saving as much as she can, never spending her money on anything unless she absolutely has to.

"Relax, sweetheart. No one owes me anything. This is just a belated birthday gift from me to Prim, and that's that."

"No," she shakes her head firmly. "You should give it to her personally, then. Drop by our house, you're always welcome, you know that," she repeats her invitation from earlier on.

"Fine, fine," he grumbles, finally giving in. He crumples the notes and stuffs them back into his pocket.

"Gotta sign those damn documents now," he gets up from the couch. "Really, why can't they mail them to my house? I should probably hire someone to forge my signature…" he grouses.

"You want to join me and Dad for lunch later? We're going to Sae's," Katniss asks.

"Think I'll pass. Don't want to interrupt some emotional father and daughter bonding time. 'Sides," he shakes his flask, the sloshing sound of the liquor inside it suggesting that it's nearly empty, "I just had mine."

"Cass!" he calls his receptionist. "Those papers in my office?"

"Yes, Mr Abernathy. Do you still remember the way to your office? Or should I escort you there?" Cassandra asks sarcastically.

Haymitch guffaws. "Not sure why I hired you girl, but it's definitely wasn't for your sense of humor, or rather, the lack of it."

He turns back at Katniss. "Guess I'll see you when I see you, sweetheart."

"Quit shutting yourself in your fancy booze mansion!" she calls after him as he starts to walk to the entranceway leading to his office. "Remember to come visit us!" Haymitch waves back half-heartedly, as if to humor her.

Despite her frequent bickering with Haymitch, Katniss really cares for him deep down. The man had watched her and Prim grow up, and was so much more than just her father's best friend. Hell, he's practically her second father. She just wants him to know that here are people who still care about him. People like her, her father and Prim.

Katniss watches until his slightly hunched figure disappears down the corridor.

He looks so painfully alone.

* * *

She closes the novel with a _thud _and lets out a breath she doesn't know she has been holding. That's it. _The end_. Back to the real world, Katniss. She feels… lost? Empty? Bittersweet?

Bittersweet is the right word, she decides. Sad because the journey is over, but happy because everyone got the ending they deserved.

She lays spread eagle on her bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. The entire story plays out in her mind.

'_So that's why she could escape from the dungeon; she wasn't the king's daughter after all,'_ she smacks her forehead. _'I should've realised that when Ewinda gave her the apple.'_

"Gosh, Katniss, you're so slow," she says out loud, miffed that she hadn't noticed the plot twist—and the story's ending—sooner. But then again, she'd always been slow in noticing clues or hindsight in stories, only noticing the big picture when everything was revealed at the end.

She glances at the clock. A little after midnight._ 'Whoa. That late already? Time really flies.' _She sets an alarm for seven in the morning; she's going to start on her 10-page Chemistry report tomorrow—or today—depending on how one would view it. To her, tomorrow only starts when she wakes up.

Katniss feels a sense of dread whenever she thinks of her Chemistry report. It's due on Monday. She only has herself to blame; they had been given a month's start to finish it and yet she keeps finding excuses to procrastinate.

'_Ten pages? It's nothing,_' she consoles herself._ 'I have more than twenty-four hours to write it. Besides, Madge will let me _'reference'_ hers,' _she uses the term lightly. _'If she doesn't then our friendship is over. Or I could just write it in a really big font_,' she starts to panic.

She eyes the report on her desk. She sighs. 'Might as well sleep now so I can wake up on time.'

She hears a soft knock on her door.

"Come in."

The door opens slightly and Prim pops her head in. "Katniss?" She asks hesitantly. "Am I disturbing you? I can't sleep, and I saw light coming from your room so I thought I…"

Katniss pats her bed. "Come here, Little Duck."

Prim crosses to her bed in two big strides and literally throws herself on it, the bed springs creaking under the sudden new weight. She lets out a delighted squeal which is quickly muffled, lest she awaken their sleeping father.

"You always do that."

"Sorry, your bed is so bouncy I just can't help it."

Prim rolls to her side. Katniss can see her clutching Buttercup.

"Get that thing away from my bed."

"You'll hurt his feelings. That 'thing' has a name: Buttercup. And why not?"

"Don't be silly. That thing is not even a real cat so stop acting like he's one. And to answer your question, : it's because it stinks."

"Does not!" Prim brings Buttercup to her nose and inhales it. "He smells nice."

'Nice? Either you're kidding or your olfactory nerve is damaged. That thing has never been through a single washing."

"That's _why_ he smells nice! Here, smell him!" Prim pushes Buttercup into Katniss's face. She flinches in annoyance when the rough fur tickles her nose.

"Argh, geroff me! Ummmhh, Prim! Ugh," she finally wrestles the toy away from her sister. "And someone here tells me they're too old to sleep with stuffed toys anymore. I wonder who?" she hints playfully.

"No, it's just that…" Prim's shoulders sag. "I miss Mummy. Buttercup reminds me of her, that's why," she says in a small voice, cuddling Buttercup close to her.

"That's why you can't sleep tonight?" Katniss asks her in concern. Prim nods.

"You want to talk about it?" Another nod. "Brush my hair, Katniss?" she requests, smiling that smile that makes it impossible for Katniss—or any other person— to deny her anything.

Katniss takes a brush from her dresser. Prim sits cross-legged on the bed, waiting eagerly. Katniss then sits behind her sister.

She gathers all of Prim's hair from the front, careful not to leave any stray strands, and brings them to splay on her back. Her sister's blonde mane is a contrast to the black pyjamas she's wearing.

Katniss runs her fingers slowly through the blonde locks that Prim inherited from their mother, both in color and texture.

"Your hair is so soft," she admires. _'Would Peeta's hair be this soft?'_ a small voice in her head interrupts her train of thought.

'_What? What does Peeta have to do with this?'_ She quickly shakes the random thought out of her head and concentrates on the task at hand.

She busies herself with the lower part of Prim's hair, gently working out the knots until they aren't tangled anymore. Prim starts to talk.

"Katniss, do you still remember Mummy?" she asks, twirling Buttercup in her hands.

"Of course I do," Katniss answers naturally. She doesn't question why in return, knowing that Prim has more to say. Instead, she gathers another small section of Prim's hair and begins to brush it.

"I find it so hard to remember her, Katniss. I try, really try to keep memories of her in my mind, but I just can't! They keep slipping away from me!" Prim blurts out, frustrated.

Katniss tries to interrupt Prim, but she doesn't stop. "I miss her _so much _but I need to look at her photos to remember what she looks like! Isn't that _pathetic_? And the other day I found out that I can't even remember what her voice sounds like anymore. I hate myself!" Prim breathes shakily.

Katniss stops brushing. "Prim," she says in a quiet voice, "Look at me."

Prim turns back to Katniss, her teary blue eyes desperately seeking reassurance.

"I don't want to forget," she sobs.

"You won't," Katniss comforts her. "Don't blame yourself Prim, you were still young when Mum left us. Barely eleven. You can't help it." She swallows the lump in her throat. "Besides, you know what they always say. You can't really forget someone as long as you still love them. You still love Mum, right? She will always be in here," she pats Prim's chest awkwardly.

Prim half-sobs in agreement, then bursts out in sudden laughter.

"What's wrong?" Katniss is alarmed by her sudden change in behavior.

"You've got it all wrong; the heart is on this side, not the side that you touched just now!" Prim doesn't try to suppress her laughter.

"It was a mistake!" Katniss says, embarrassed, but at the same time she's glad that Prim is feeling better.

Neither of them talks for the next few minutes as Katniss resumes brushing Prim's hair, massaging her scalp with the rounded bristles of the brush.

"There," she finally announces. "All sleek and shiny."

Prim shifts her sitting position so that she is facing Katniss. "Thank you," she says sincerely, "for both the brushing and the talk."

Katniss takes a good look at Prim: blonde hair, blue eyes and porcelain skin. She looks just like one of those perfect little china dolls that Katniss used to see in the toy shop display when she was younger. Pretty and delicate. Everything that she's not.

"Wish I were you, Little Duck," she states enviously.

"No. Wish I were _you_," Prim replies. "You're so strong and brave and caring, I only hope to be more like you."

"Strong? Caring? Are you sure you're talking about the right person?"

"Yup!" Prim stifles a yawn, unsuccessfully.

"Want to sleep in here with me?" Katniss fluffs another pillow on her bed.

Prim shakes her head. "It's okay, I can sleep on my own bed. You know I always kick around when I sleep," she smiles guiltily, clearly remembering all the times she had kicked Katniss in her sleep when they had sometimes shared a bed together.

"Okay then." Katniss is a bit disappointed. "Sleep tight, Little Duck."

"Sleep tight." Prim reaches the bedroom door, one hand holding Buttercup by its tail and the other hand resting on the door knob. "By the way, Katniss, you're only allowed to call me Little Duck within the perimeters of this house," she mocks in a playfully haughty tone. "Please don't ever call me that in public."

"Whatever, Little Duck. _Quack quack_!" Katniss hopes to annoy Prim with her answer, but her sister only smiles at her antics before closing the door softly behind her. She is surprised; normally Prim would reply in an equally childish manner and they would laugh about it afterwards.

'_She's growing up,' _Katniss reminds herself._ 'You need to stop treating her like she's ten.'_

Her Little Duck isn't so 'little' anymore.

* * *

She couldn't _'sleep tight'_ at all.

She tosses and turns in her bed before giving up to stare at the clock, whiling the time away.

'_Go to sleep damnit. You have a report to do in a few hours. You need to _sleep_.'_

Her body disagrees. She sits up in exasperation and turns on the lamp on the nightstand. She glances in the direction of her desk. The report sits there, taunting her.

She contemplates starting on it now, since sleep just won't come to her.

'_No way. Who the hell wants to do their homework at three in the morning, anyway?'_

Her sight falls on the laptop sitting beside the report. She eyes it deviously.

'_Who knows? Maybe there are new chapter updates. Maybe I could sleep after reading.'_

With this reasoning Katniss gleefully switches on her laptop. But to her disappointment there are no new updates. Not even any new stories. "Oh well, it's a small fandom after all," she consoles herself. The author 'Paint Me With Words' comes to her mind.

"I remember her telling me she's working on a new story. It's been almost two weeks…" she mumbles. She knows Paint Me With Words hasn't published her new story yet, because she would've gotten a notification from the site. Yet she's still curious about the author. Katniss has never visited her profile before.

A quick search brings her to Paint Me With Words' profile. They're from the same country. _'Probably even the same time zone, which means she's sleeping and there won't be any updates now,' _she thinks sadly.

She looks at the introduction section; it is quite short, with only two sentences: _I love to paint and write, hence my penname Paint Me With Words. Also, I think fanfiction is the next best thing since sliced bread._

Katniss giggles at the second sentence. She completely agrees with her.

She goes to the story section next. _'Yup, only two stories, not three.'_

She absentmindedly refreshes the page a few times while dreading how she will have to try to sleep now, since there isn't anything new on the site to distract her.

Just when Katniss is about to close the browser, she notices a slight change in the story section; the list seems longer.

_3. __Real_

Her heart soars and explodes into fireworks and confetti when she realizes it is a new story from Paint Me With Words. She is overjoyed. _'Is this really happening?'_

She clicks on the link, her fingers trembling from excitement.

…_and the look on her face when she climaxed was enough to send me over the edge. I collapsed on top of her, my arms giving in under the waves of pure bliss hitting me._

"_Regina," I cried out when I came inside of her. It was intense, unlike anything I had experienced before._

_I buried my face in the fan of her ebony hair, moaning her name over and over again. Like a prayer._

_She caressed my back, her fingertips dancing lightly on my skin while I regained my breath, coming down from my high. Our bodies were flushed against each other's. We stayed that way for a moment, both of us basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking._

_Afraid that my weight would crush her, I rolled to the side, my body already lamenting the momentary loss of the feel of her skin against mine. I rectified that by embracing her tightly._

_I rested my chin on her head. She nuzzled into the expanse of my chest. A finger trailed tentatively across my chest._

_Silence. Neither of us said anything, afraid of ruining the moment._

_I love her, I really do. But does she feel the same about me? A part of me knows that she does; we have just given ourselves to each other in an act so intimate and sacred. But another part, the part that was tainted by _them_, the part that I have fought so hard to regain control over the months, tries to tell me otherwise._

_Insecurities start to settle around me like the chilly morning fog._

_She could sense the tension in my chest. "Vincent," she said, breaking the silence. She tilted her head upwards to look me in the eyes. Her gray orbs reflected passion and love and hope, everything our future together promises to be._

_And suddenly, I felt foolish for doubting her. Of course she loves me. But I wanted to hear it. As a confirmation. Reassurance._

_Armed with trepidation, I whispered, "You love me, real or not real?"_

_She smiled, that rare smile reserved for special occasions. I would never tire of her smile, even if it gets wrinkly when we grow old together._

_She knew that I already knew her answer to my question, but she said it anyway._

"_Real."_

Katniss stares at the screen in total amazement. "Oh my god, they made love before the 'real or not real' moment." She claps a hand to her mouth. "Why, this is _actually_ possible."

'_I need a moment._ _Breathe in, breathe out.'_

After she feels calm enough, she scrolls to the review section. Her fingers still on the keyboard. She doesn't know what to type. Anything she says is bound to sound silly and amateurish compared to the author's writing.

"Screw it, I was never good with words anyway," she decides, and types her review:

_Okay, not gonna lie, I was totally stalking your profile this time. And then you published your new story. Coincidence or what? Haha. Anyway, I AM MINDBLOWN BY YOUR STORY. Wow. I mean, they make love before the 'real or not real' moment! It actually fits in the story, come to think of it. Gosh, why didn't I realize this earlier? I AM SO SLOW. WHY AM I ALWAYS THIS SLOW? THAT'S IT. THIS STORY IS OFFICIALLY MY HEADCANON ENDING. TGOF'S ENDING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME FOR ME AGAIN._

Review sent. Katniss decides to send a second one as an afterthought:

_Oh, by the way, am I your first reviewer again? Sorry for the incoherent review, I'm not always like this. It's already 3am here but I can't sleep. Which explains the gibberish._

She rereads the story, savoring each and every little detail. An unexpected yawn escapes her. _'Finally,'_ she exhales, glad at the sign of her fatigue. Her eyelids are starting to get heavy too.

She is about to sign out of her account when Paint Me With Words replies:

_Hey Sagittaria13!_

_Err, thanks for stalking? Haha just joking! Thanks for visiting my profile! It must have been your sixth sense telling you I was about to update. ;)_

_Wow, I'm extremely flattered to know that my story is your headcanon. I'm glad to know that you think the same too. Judging from the lines in the original story it's entirely plausible that they did much more than just making out, so I'm just expanding on that._

_And no, you're not slow at all. In fact, you're quite fast in reading and reviewing! You're my first reviewer again! Thank you so much for your continuous support, it really means a lot to me._

_PS: It's 3am here too, but I'll be going to bed soon. :D_

_PMWW_

Katniss responds:

_Guess I'll always be your first huh? That came out wrong, LOL. I'm finally tired, gonna sleep now. You should get your beauty sleep too._

Paint Me With Words' reply is fast:

_Sagittaria13,_

_Beauty sleep? Okay, if you say so! Haha. Good night (even though it's technically morning, but still :P)_

_PMWW_

She replies with a simple _'Good night!'_ and signs out.

She places her laptop carefully on the desk, deliberately ignoring the Chemistry report beside it. _'Why worry about it now when you'll have to worry in less than four hours?'_

Katniss nestles her cheek onto a cool spot on her pillow. She slowly drifts off to sleep, her last thought being:

'_Hell, if it was a report on fanfiction I'd be the first one to turn it in.'_

* * *

**Hello everyone!**

**Special thanks to EverlarkRecs for recommending my story! I died of happiness (but was resurrected by Finnick) when I found out lol.**

**THANK YOU to those who read/ reviewed (either on here or Tumblr)/ followed/ favorited this story. I also want to thank those who added me to their favorites list and author alert list. :)**

**ADHAKHSDJAASKDJHF THANK YOU! :')  
**

**Have a nice day!**


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